Photo: The new Florida keys

A grand piano has mysteriously appeared on a sandbar about a half mile from shore in Miami’s Biscayne Bay. Exactly how or why someone would haul a 650-pound piano out there is not known. Biscayne Bay is where salt water from the sea mixes with freshwater from the land, serving as a nursery to young marine life. Dumping anything in that area is illegal and violators are subject to arrest.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has no plans to remove the piano. Having decided that it poses no threat to wildlife or boaters, they will let the salty sea water and air do what they will with the instrument.

If you had the chance to tickle its keys, which song would you play?

UPDATED | Thursday, Jan. 27

Mystery solved, and you can read about it here. But the answer is not as interesting as the question.

After disappointing results in the Mississippi and Alabama primaries this week, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich vowed that his campaign would continue.

Comments

http://twitter.com/RileyRants KathleenRileyDaniels

Wonder if anyone stops by to play it — or even better if the wildlife play it when no one is looking.

Anonymous

Actually, it is kinda cool.

Anonymous

Actually, it is kinda cool.

Purityofessence

Cool, why not?

cynical simon

its so the fish can practice their scales

postmanpat

what a waste of a grand piano… pretty cool though.

Dbutler3747

If the wildlife officers can be concerned about fishing wire then why have they not taken into consideration the damage the Piano wires alone can do if left to float around, the damage they can do to boats & especially the wildlife, This is ABSURD, remove it!

Kathy

This was not what I consider a “need to know” sort of thing. It’s also really disrespectful to the piano. Couldn’t it be reclaimed and donated to a community center or something. It seems like a waste.

chaz

grrrr

chaz

grrrr

Hartmannp

I’d Play EbbTide…

Weiss, Jonathan

Hmmm… that’s a hard one, but it would be in the key of C for sure!

Shutup

oh shut up and just enjoy the joke

D. Crow

Ignorance drips from your lips!

Andrew

Its a beautiful ‘idea’ …would make for a GREAT music video. But it does both pose a hazard to wildlife (eventually) and is a shame to let it go to waste (the salt is going to destroy it)
-but truly poetic

Play some sea shanty on a bar that never closes, all it needs is mermaids serving margaritas.

Keygirlus

Who knows, it could be some hurricane refuse come to rest.

Fintusk

dont you think the cost to recover and fix shouldnt be the tax payers job???? Someone who thinks it should be moved should get a boat and move it.

Gwenlikeschat

If I only knew how to play. Where would be a better place to do so then there! Id love to play a beautiful peaceful song in the middle of the bay

Writeguzziguy

Le Piano englouti (The Sunkem Piano), a pastiche in tribute to Debussy.

MIMI of 2

I would play “Last Date” if I could play.

Bivalve88

I’d play “The Piano’s Been Drinking” by Tom Waits…

Notnotjunk

The sharks think it sounds sharp, whilst the flounders find it a bit flat.

Lostlogo

leaving it there poses no threat? What about all the metal and wires inside that animals can get wrapped up in once the “salt water and wind to their thing”. And its not “kinda cool”, It’s still litter, and worse than any bottle or lawn chair. What’s wrong with people..?

No

piano wire isn’t really flexible, so i would agree that it really doesn’t pose any threat. and i’d play bobby darin’s “beyond the sea” =]

Vlgriff61

Just followed your link…excellent reference it looks like! I missed this film, but will look for it soon!

I would play “no man is an island, no man stands alone.” Actually, I enjoy the whole idea of the piano being there . It’s unique, and we need more of those things in this world of stress today.

RSaams1

gotta’ play moon over miami. i left fl in 72, have they restricted boat s from being in the bay, if the piano can float, wouldn’t it put alittle ding in somebodys bow ? my dad had 2 grands in hialeah, and putting one to se wasn’t ever something i’de ever thought about. hialeah high school, class of 66. what happenned to class of 64/65 ?

Kellywilliams Tn

La Mer

Kackierose

Now that’s clever… and it would be better if someone was playing it…. Is this part of a Divorce?

Need to Know is a production of Creative News Group (CNG) in association with WNET. Marc Rosenwasser is Executive Producer. Need to Know is made possible by Bernard and Irene Schwartz, Mutual of America, Citi Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.